Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 17, 2026
08:03
Electrospun Fibrous Scaffolds of Polyglycerol-dodecanedioate for Engineering Neural Tissues From Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells
Published on: June 18, 2014
11.4K
Electrospun Polycaprolactone/lignin-based Nanocomposite as a Novel Tissue Scaffold for Biomedical Applications
Mohammad Ali Salami1, Faranak Kaveian1, Mohammad Rafienia2
1Department of Biomaterials, Nanotechnology and Tissue Engineering, School of Advanced Medical Technologies, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
Journal of Medical Signals and Sensors
|December 6, 2017
Summary
Adding lignin (Lig) to polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds via electrospinning (ELS) enhances mechanical properties and cell response for biomedical applications. This lignin-enhanced PCL nanocomposite shows improved bioactivity and controlled degradation.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Biopolymer scaffolds are crucial in biomedical science due to their advantageous biological, mechanical, and chemical properties.
- Incorporating natural micro/nanoparticles like lignin (Lig) into biopolymers aims to create advanced materials.
- Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a widely studied biopolymer for scaffold fabrication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize novel polycaprolactone-lignin (PCL-Lig) nanocomposite scaffolds using electrospinning (ELS).
- To investigate the impact of varying lignin content (0-15 wt.%) on scaffold properties for soft tissue engineering.
- To evaluate the bioactivity, swelling, morphology, mechanical performance, and degradation of the PCL-Lig nanocomposites.
Main Methods:
- Electrospinning (ELS) technique was employed to fabricate PCL-Lig nanocomposite fibers, mimicking the extracellular matrix.
- Lignin powder was added to a PCL solution at different weight percentages (0, 5, 10, 15 wt.%) and stirred at room temperature.
- Comprehensive characterization included bioactivity assays, swelling tests, morphological analysis, mechanical testing (tensile strength, Young's modulus), and degradation studies in phosphate-buffered saline.
Main Results:
- The PCL-Lig scaffold with 10 wt.% lignin exhibited optimal porosity, biodegradation, minimal fiber diameter, and ideal pore size.
- Significant enhancements in tensile strength and Young's modulus were observed in the 10 wt.% lignin scaffold compared to pure PCL.
- Lignin addition accelerated the degradation rate of PCL nanocomposites by up to 10% in phosphate-buffered saline.
Conclusions:
- Electrospun PCL-Lig nanocomposite scaffolds demonstrate improved cellular response, integrating enhanced mechanical signals with biological benefits.
- The optimized PCL-Lig nanocomposite scaffold presents a promising candidate material for diverse biomedical applications.
- Lignin incorporation effectively modifies the properties of PCL scaffolds, offering tunable characteristics for tissue engineering.
